SSDI indicates that he died in July, 1947 in Boston, Suffolk Mass. However, the Massachusetts vital records archive cannot find his death record. Does anyone know if this record is manditory for dual citizenship? I'm dealing with the San Francisco consulate. I have proof(Italian microfilm) of his birth in Loreto Aprutino, Abruzzo, Italy, his marriage in the USA, ships manifests, census, etc. I can prove that I am his grandson and that he was an alien in 1930.

Oh he was born in Italy, you need it, start with parish records, cenetary records. Probably they can't find it becuase it is spelled wrong in their index. Try alternative spellings. Since he died in 47, and you have the date you can just go though the microfilm from salt lake. Just order it for the time frame you need. Thats what I would do, once you find it photocopy it and you can get a certified copy then.

I had this same problem and am going through SF as well. My great grandfather was born in Italy and died in California, but the state has no death certificate. We were originally going to go to court to get a delayed death record, but before we did, we decided to email Mr. Cei in SF. Here is his response (we are also having trouble finding my great grandmother's birth certificate):

"Neither of those documents is foundationally important (such as the Italian birth certificate or the naturalization record) The absence of individual documents, such as a death certificate or a spouse’s birth certificate, can be overcome so long as the other documents clearly prove the identity of the individuals involved and that the transmission of citizenship occurred. If you are missing some documents related to your ascendant, it is probably a good idea to get a certified copy of your ascendant’s petition for citizenship (either from NARA or the County) in order to fill in the blanks, regardless of whether you have the original naturalization certificate or not."

We have records from the cemetery about his death and burial, an obituary and have spoken to the priest at the church where his funeral was held, so I think our evidence is pretty solid. So, I guess this is just a long way of saying that I dont think the death certificate is needed if you have sufficient documentation showing what happened.